For under $45k?
Anything better than a CX5 out there, yet?
- Thread starter Ws6
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I think it's a hair over, but wait a year when lightly used ones hit the lots, also, the 300hp/311tq i4 might actually be pretty spicy, depending on the rest of the setup, it might even be the better buy if it shaves weight off the nose and makes it more neutral.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
“I don't really see how that works. There is nowhere near enough room in a smaller SUV for kids. Lots of people on the CX5 forum selling them for that specific reason. No rear-facing car seat fits, they claim. I have an SUV for when I have to haul a bunch of kit, or my dog, and no truck returns the mpg I get, so it made the choice easy. I bought an SUV after having to pick someone up from the airport 2 hours from a class and they had to hold their 4 rifle case "in their lap" and recline the seat in my 370Z for a 2 hour drive. It was pretty terrible, lol! Decided I needed a bigger vehicle. That led to the JGC with HEMI/QD2, but it always let me down mechanically, led to the 2015 CX5, but it let me down every time I drove it, led to my 2019 turbo CX5, have yet to find something better, but the RAV4 Prime is on my radar if we ever get any around here.”
OK, first of all CX5 is not a small vehicle. CX5 is sold on most markets (not sure name is the same) and for most of the world (like 95%) it is considered large vehicle. With SUV craze it is basically Mazda’s replacement for 6. My bothers father in law is chief of police in my hometown. They have various vehicles , from Dacia Duster, Mazda CX3 or 30 (not sure, Golf, BMW interceptors to Land Rovers and Puch G. I asked him why going with small Mazda, and reason was size. They bought it for city patrol, and larger vehicles like CX5 would have an maneuverability issue in small streets. The fact that CX5 cannot fit rear facing seat is absolutely ridiculous. It is dumb! It is absolute failure of engineering. I have yet to see vehicle that cannot do that. So basically Mazda designed replacement for family sedan and said: people, just don’t have sex and it is excellent vehicle.
OK, first of all CX5 is not a small vehicle. CX5 is sold on most markets (not sure name is the same) and for most of the world (like 95%) it is considered large vehicle. With SUV craze it is basically Mazda’s replacement for 6. My bothers father in law is chief of police in my hometown. They have various vehicles , from Dacia Duster, Mazda CX3 or 30 (not sure, Golf, BMW interceptors to Land Rovers and Puch G. I asked him why going with small Mazda, and reason was size. They bought it for city patrol, and larger vehicles like CX5 would have an maneuverability issue in small streets. The fact that CX5 cannot fit rear facing seat is absolutely ridiculous. It is dumb! It is absolute failure of engineering. I have yet to see vehicle that cannot do that. So basically Mazda designed replacement for family sedan and said: people, just don’t have sex and it is excellent vehicle.
Sex =/= Kids necessarily.
That said, I have never tried to put a set in my CX5. It's literally not something that matters to me. I put tons of kit in it, or my dog, or whatever, and for that it does great. It's what I bought it for.
This is what I have READ ON A FORUM. Don't take it for gospel.
I think the GV70 is more what I'd want. That has a max hp of 226, and it's not super light, etc.
JHZR2
Staff member
There are lots of vehicles that don’t fit rear facing seats well. Even our Odyssey is on the verge of less than ideal when I have a rear facing seat behind me.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
Sorry, VW Golf, BMW 3 series, etc. can all fit rear-facing seats. I had in my 328 rear-facing Graco for almost 6 months. I am not going to discuss Sienna; rear-facing seat, plus me 6.2 can still pass by it and that one had a Recaro seat which is huge.
It is mindboggling for a vehicle like that to not fit a rear-facing seat.
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
Ah, yeah it would have to be the 4 cylinder turbo then
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^^Haha that is the icing on the cake!!
That's about the only thing that has stood out to me as a "but why?" in their recent CX5. The rest of it is pretty cohesive.
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JHZR2
Staff member
I may be taller than you, and have my seat different, ever think of that?
We traded my Saab 9-3 and my wife’s vw rabbit because of this. Yes, been there, done that... she was growing tired of being knees in the dash in those cars, so when second kid came and we knew we’d have an infant carrier, we had to change cars.
Its almost like you’re insinuating that I’m making this up, what benefit woukd ai have getting rid of two great cars, buying two brand new cars within a month of one another... for what, my health? To waste money?
A rear facing seat fits behind the passenger seat in the odyssey. But having it where I want it means the front seat touches the rear facing seat, which is not the correct way to have it.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
I understand issues around seats or multiple seats. There are numerous issues around it. But, as I stated, again, most of the world does not drive minivans etc. they drive vehicles that are just the size of CX5, and that is considered a large vehicle. Whether the seat fits perfectly or what seat you can fit is up for debate, but they fit.
Do not get me wrong, I got rid of X5 which was leaps and bounds better than Sienna, except space, so I understand where you coming from. But, still, the seat has to fit rear-face if there are anchors. How easy is to get to a kid in let's say Rabbit, is another thing. We had them rear-facing in wife's Tiguan and absolutely no problems, putting kids in, or out.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
I actually thought about getting a Mercury Marauder as a beater, but its really slow, and that kindof defeats the purpose of a fun beater. I still love how they looked and sounded though!
It's a non-issue for me, but if someone has kids, I'd recommend an actual mid to full-size SUV like the CX9/Pilot/Tahoe if an SUV is what they want..
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